Collection-box



B. F. PERRY.

COLLECTION BOX. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10, 1919.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

fi ma Wi Znesses Zia; M

UNITED ST TES TPATENT OFFICE.

-BENJAMIN F.'-PEBRY,' 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

, eOLLEGTIQN-BOX.

eeogew.

".Specificationof Letters'Patent. Patented N 30 1920 Appplication filed September 10, 1919. Serial No. 322,840.

To all whom it mayconcern:

Be it knfownthat I, BENJAMIN F .I )ERRY, a citizen-of Zthe- -United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of'Allegheny and sounding an alarm upon the tampering v therewith. lVhile the invention, as illustrated and hereinafterdescribed, refers to a form of collection boxes used for collecting and containing money ofierings, as in connection with a church or other body, it Will be -.-understoodthat it :is not essentially or particularly con finedthereto, and may be utilized in any similar device.

The objects in view are to provide within a receiving receptacle of suitable shape and dimensions and provided with an opening door, a receiving drawer or box and an inlet conduit; means for ringing a bell or the like upon any unauthorized attempt to open the door or to remove the contents of the drawer or holder, by the closing of a circuit and the sounding of an electro-magnetic alarm or similar device.

In the drawings illustrating one preferred embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the middle portion of the box in normal operative position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the closing gate of the conduit lifted by means of an extractingdevice and a resulting closing ofthe circuit;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view line IIIIII of Fig 1; and

Fig. 4 is a partial vertical sectional view on the line IV-IV of Fig. l.

The collection box or receptacle, in the form shown, is provided with side walls 2, a top 3, a bottom 4:, and a door '5 hinged at 6 and covering an opening in one of the side walls. Said door is ordinarily closed and locked in any suitable manner and provides the only means of access to the in terior of the'box for the purposeof removingthe receiving drawer? or its contents.

on the For the purpose of providing means for closing an electrlc clrcuit upon the insertion of a knife blade, screw driver, or prying device of any kind, the free edge of the door 5 is provided with'a strip of any suitable contasting material 8, as copper, throughout thelengthfof its swinging edge, and the coacting edge of'the frameat the side of the door opening is similarly provided with a strip These strips are so located as to leave an'intervening space sufliciently wide for the insertion of any instrument which might beused to pry or force open the door,

the entry of which will thereby eflect an electric closure between the two strips.

"At any suitable position within the box, or elsewhere as preferred, is mounted an electric hell or alarm 10 having the usual attachingterminals for the circuit'wires l1 and 12, the other terminals of which are connected with the strips 8 'andt9 respectively, as clearly indicated in Fig. 1, one oi such" leadwires passing through the battery 13. The result of the closing of the circuit in the manner described is to cause a sounding of the alarm bell l0, whereupon the intruder is induced to discontinue further efforts to break into the box.

Below the inlet opening 14 for the introduction of money, a conduit 15 extends down to a point slightly above the receiving drawer 7, and such conduit is purposely deflected or shaped in the zig zag form as in dicated, so as to prevent the easy introduction of any extracting instrument, as a stick, wire, or other article. prevent the introduction of such a device as a button, washer, or other weighted small article which may be attached to a flexible string or cord and provided with any ad hesive material for the purpose of effecting the withdrawal of coins or paper money thereby.

For the purpose of preventing such removal, and also of sounding the alarm 10 upon such an attempt, the outlet terminal of conduit 15 is provided with a closing gate or fender 16 hinged or pivoted at 17 to the conduit and normally held open for free passage of coins, etc., by a retracting spring 18. The front edge of gate 16 is provided with a series of projecting pins or fingers 19 arranged somewhat closely together as shown in Fig. 41, extending slantingly downward and so arrangedacross the lower edge of the gate as to practically cover the discharge opening of the conduit 15.

One of the terminals 12 of the circuit is connected with the contact late 20 arranged in the path of movement 0 a similar contact It will not, however,

other terminal 11 of the circuit, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. In the event of a removing device a and cord 6 being lowered downwardly through the conduit into the money drawer 7, the device Z2 will fall beyond the terminals of pins 19 and the supporting cord will then lie between two adjacent pins, so

that when the cord is raised to remove an adhering com, the device Wlll become engaged agalnst the under sldes of the pins 19.

Further upward tension will cause a closing of the door with a resulting closing of the contact terminals'20 and 21, as in Fig. 2, cf fecting a resulting sounding of the'alarm 10.

' With either means, 2'. e .,'upon an attempt beingmade to open the door 5 or to remove the contents of the drawer 7 upwardly through the conduit 15, the alarm Will sound,

in which event the fraudulent attempt to rob the box will be ordinarily discontinued. i The device is comparatively simple in construction and efiicient in operation in the manner intended. It may be changed or varied in detail construction, proportions, design or otherwise by the skilled mechanic,

but all such changes are to be considered as within 'the scope of the following claims.

device, an opening door in the casing having a conducting strip arranged along one edge thereof and inclrcuit with the alarm devlce,

and a co-acting strip also in circuit with the alarm device and mounted'on the door casing in spaced juxtaposition to the door strip, whereby the door strip, and casing strip may. be electrically "connected by .insertion of a conducting instrument, H 7

'2. A collection box provided withan in terior alarm device, a hinged door having its swinging edge spaced awayfrom the adjacent'edge of the door opening, a conduct- 7 ing strip on the door edge and on'the' door opening edge of the loo); respectively and normally spaced apart from each other when the door is closed, and means" connecting each of said strips with the alarm device whereby to close the circuit-thereto-upon the insertion of a conducting element between the strips.

In testimony whereof I hereuntoaflix my signature.) J

BENJAMIN 1 rERRv 

